Handle



Dec. 10, 1940. A. E. ALvERsON 2,224,233

HHHH LE T v r Patented Dec. 10, 1940 UNITED STATES PAT'ENT OFFICE tion of Illinois x Rockford, Ill., a corpora- Applicatio'n December 9, 1938, Serial No. 244.-,717

2 Clams.

This invention relates to Wood working chisels and the like of the so-called socket type, and has special reference to handles therefor.

The invention is concerned primarily With that well known class of chisels which are made with a metal blade and shank, the shank having a socket for reception of a handle Which has a tenon shaped to seat in the socket and capable of being readily lifted out for change or replacement. The handle serves also as a block for driving the chisel with a hammer or mallet. In the past handles of this type have usually been made of Wood, but the objection to this material is the fact that the end of the handle mushrooms over under the driving force of the hammer blows and the handle must therefore be frequently replaced. Numerous efforts have been made to avoid this diiculty, but none have been sufficiently successful to be generally adopted in the trade. Numerous attempts have been made to use the so-called plastics and synthetic resins in the manufacture of handles of this type, but so far as I am aware, these attempts have been universallyunsuccessful in tool-s in Which the handle had to withstand driving impacts such as in a chisel, because of the tendency of the handle to break in or directly adjacent the tenon.

An important Object of the invention is the provision of a handle for socket type chisels made of plastic or synthetic resin and having a tenon for entering the socket, and means for preventing breaking of the handle at or near the tenon when the chisel is driven or the handle is given a glancing or side bloW With a hammer or other driving implement.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of a chisel having a handle embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the handle, and

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

The invention contemplates the provision of a handle for chisels, gouges and the like made from plastics or synthetic resins, a typical example of which is Celluloid, There are numerous of these plastics known which have desirable properties of resistance to shock so that When applied in a chisel handle the end of the handle will withstand an unusual amount of hammering without forming a mushroom end or without breaking or chipping out. However, these materials must be formed in bodies of considerable size in order to Wthstand this treatment, and difliculty has been encountered in that the handle breaks oif in or directly adjacent the tenon. This is particularly prone to happen when the handle isvgiven a glancing or sidewise 6 blow With a hammer or mallet, as is frequently done in using a chisel. This difficulty has prevented the use of plastics for handles in socket type chisels, though materials have been used on chisels of the type having a tang extending through the handle, the tang extending completely to the back end of the handle and the ha-mmer blow being largely delivered directly on the end of the tang.

The invention contemplates a handle for a socket type chisel such as shown in Figure 1,` having a blade 4 and a shank 5 in the end of Which is provided a socket 6. This is a Well known type of chisel which has certain Very decided advantages over other types, as is Well known in the art. In practicing the invention I provide a handle designated generally by the numeral 'l having a central handle portion 8, an end portion 9 preferably of slightly smaller diameter than the handle portion 8 which serves to receive the blows from a hammer Or other implement used in driving the chisel. At the opposite end of the handle portion 8 is a tenon ll of circular cross-section as shown in Fig. 3, the tenon tapering inwardly toward its free end so as to be substantially complemental to the socket S. A shoulder l2 is preferably interposed between the tenon ll and the handle portion 8, partly for the purpose of ornamentation and partly for the purpose of providing additional stock or thickness in this area.

A bore l3 extends from the free end of the tenon up into the handle portion 8 and is preferably of as large a diameter as will be permitted by the free end of the tenon. Positioned in the bore |3 is a pin |4 formed of tool steel capable of being hardened. By tool steel" I mean a steel having a carbon content above about .35 to .38 per cent and capable of being hardened by heat treatment in the usual Way, as distinguished from so-called mild steel. The pin M is hardened in the usual way by heating the metal to an extent dependent upon the carbon content thereof and quenching in oil or water in the usual way. This pin is either molded directly into the handle or is pressed into the bore [3 under suficient pressure to be heldrigidly in place.

I have found that handles made of tough and hard plastics such as Celluloid, and produced in accordance with this invention, are able to withstand surprisingly hard service and have a useful life far beyond that of the' usual Wood handle. In addition, it has numerous other advantages in service not possessed by the handles of the prior art, does not peen over at its end, and does not develop slivers, as in the case of a wood hammer. Furthermore, the handle is interchangeable with the handles of chisels now on the market and may be used for replacement of the handles originally supplied with these chisels, or may be supplied on neW products.

While I have thus described and illustratedV a specific embodiment of the invention, this has been by Way of illustration, and I do not Wish to be limited except as required by the prior art and the scope of the appended claims, in Which- I claim: 1. The combination in a handle for socket type chisels of a body of tough plastic having a central handle portion, an end portion shaped for driving impact by a driving tool, and a tenon shaped for reception in the chisel socket, and a rod of hardened steel extending through said tenon and into the central handle portion of the body.

2. The combination in a handle for socket type chisels of albody of Celluloid having a central handle portion, an end portion of smaller diameter than the handle portion shaped for driving impact by a driving tool, and a tenon of smaller diameter than said handle portion tapered for reception in a chisel socket, and a rod of hardened steel of slightly smaller diameter than the end of said tenon extending from the end of the tenon into the central handle portion of the body to prevent breakage of the handle.

ALBERT EDDY ALVERSON. 

